I used the drop testers, not the strips. I had 3 small bala sharks that i started the tank with cause my wife was douped into buying one and i read up on them and realized that the little tank they sold him to her in was not big enough and bought him 2 friends. Then i got 3 clown loaches, as well as a 12 inch pleco that came with the tank i bought from someone who was moving. Then i bought an albino shark as well as 4 cherry barbs. Everything was going fine and one of the bala sharks died on me, he had always seemed alittle sickley and not well liked by the other 2. I left the tank for that for quite awhile, and noticed that some of the fish were starting to float close to the top, mostly 2 of the cherry barbs. Then the other bala shark (one of the friends) started floating almost completely vertically. I went out and bought another bala shark cause i thought maybe only being 2 was making them stressed out as well as a gourami to maybe tone down the albino shark cause he is fairly agressive. After this 2 days later everything started falling apart. Gourami died first, then 3 cherry barbs, a clown loach, the bala shark that was swimming vertically also died. Then the other clown loach started to act weird. He would swim around and then all of a sudden just look liek he was dead. He woudl start to float on his side and slowly sink and then all of a sudden jump up and swim away. One morning i came downa nd found him belly up on a plant, i went to scoop him up and he swam off again, and the about 3 or 4 days later i foudn him dead. This all happend in 1 to 2 weeks, and i did water changed and tests frequenlty but couldnt find anything.
Sorry for how long it is but thanks for helping
Mitch